Fallin' for You
by Jessluvsharry
Summary: Lily Evans is sure of one thing: she is falling for James Potter. But how in the world is she going to tell him after everything they've gone through together? Inspiration came from the song Fallin' for You by Colbie Caillat. J/L one-shot R&R please


**Fallin' for You**

**A/N – Me and my song fics!! I recently downloaded the song Fallin' for You by Colbie Caillat. And I've listened to it like a gazillion times since! I adore it! So I was really listening to the lyrics, and I realized it would fit in fabulously with a Lily/James one-shot! So here we go~**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter. I do not own Fallin' for You. They belong to the lovely J.K. Rowling and Colbie Caillat. **

--

Lily's POV

_Just don't look at him. Maybe he won't see you. _

"Hey Lily, I almost didn't see you there! What are you doing?" said the voice I had been dreading but also longing to hear.

_Bullocks._

"Oh, hello James," I said, trying to sound casual. Of course my voice cracked. Figures. "I'm just doing some homework." I held up my quill and smiled shyly.

"Oh come on, Lil. It's a Friday night and you are doing homework? I don't think so. Come take a walk with me," he suggested.

I stared into his colorful hazel eyes, recognizing each individual color as I found myself doing very often lately. They were so beautiful.

_Wait._

Did I just call JAMES POTTER'S eyes beautiful? What has gotten into me? I mean, I know that we are friends now. We called that truce at the beginning of the year, our seventh and last. But I shouldn't think they are beautiful. Only someone who liked him would think such thoughts...

No. I blocked my head from processing the thoughts that kept trying to break through whenever I saw James Potter. I couldn't think about things like this right now. I just couldn't take it. But I wanted so badly to just let them pour out and relieve my head from so much pressure. Because I was certain about one thing that was dangerous and insane at the same time.

I was falling for James Potter.

"Lily? Are you ok?" he repeated.

I snapped out of my trance. "Sorry. I daydream too much. Um...what was it you asked again?"

He laughed, and I blushed crimson. "Would you like to take a walk?"

"Oh, I remember now," I smiled, "and yeah, that seems like fun. Just let me put my things away, and I will be right back down. I'm going to just put them in Mary and Alice's room. I don't feel like walking all the way to our dorm, you know?" I felt stupid as I was babbling on.

"Sure thing," he said, rubbing the back of his messy jet-black hair with a dazzling smile.

I remembered to breathe. Then, I scurried up the staircase and nearly ran to the dorm. I shut the door quickly behind me.

"Damn, Lily. Is someone chasing you?" came a voice from behind me. I jumped around and spotted my friend Mary MacDonald lounging on her bed. Alice Fawcett was sitting on the floor next to her.

"Guys, I have a problem," I spoke urgently.

Alice's large, chocolate brown eyes grew even wider than usual. "What's wrong?"

"Potter. He just asked me to take a walk."

Mary nearly flew off the bed as she ran toward me. Her thick brown hair was disheveled. "Holy. Shit," she said. I think her words summed up everything exactly correct, even with her commonly used crude language.

"Yeah, I know," I said desperately.

"Are you going to go?" Alice asked in shock.

"Well, yeah," I said breathless, and a clumsy smile appeared on my face.

"Oh, my," Mary said, a grin appearing, "you are going to tell him today, aren't you?"

"Tell him what?" I asked, confused.

"How deeply in love with him you are, of course!" Mary said, as if it were obvious.

"Mary!" I half-shouted. "I am not in love with him."

"She's right, Mary," Alice piped up. I smiled in accomplishment. "Lily is not in love with him. She is completely and utterly infatuated with him because her love is so entirely strong." My face fell.

Mary yelped with laughter. "Good one, Alice."

"I try," she said impishly.

"Ok, ok, you two have had enough fun. Now let's try and concentrate. He is waiting for me down there, and I have NO clue what to do."

"Because you like him, you mean?" Mary spoke.

"Yes," I said quickly, and not thinking. Then my brain processed what I has just said. My mouth was round in horror.

My two friends were staring at me, looking very accomplished and arrogant.

"We knew it anyway, Lil. It would have come out eventually."

"I- I," I spluttered, not knowing what to say.

"Don't," Alice said. "We know. Don't deny it. We just have to concentrate on what you are going to do about it."

I sighed in defeat. "Ok, fine. I like him. After all these years of fighting and vowing to never ever except a date from him, I lost it. He changed so much this year. And as we became friends, I became more shy. Because secretly, I found myself growing attracted to him. But I don't think he likes me anymore."

"Why on Earth would you say that?" Mary asked.

"Well, he stopped asking me out."

"That was only so that you would see how much he changed and how much he actually likes you now, Lily," Alice said.

"How do you know that?" I asked dubiously.

"Er- well...you see, I kind of asked Frank." My eyes grew large.

"Frank?" I asked. "As in Longbottom?"

"Yes," she said shyly.

"Alice! Have you finally seen the light? He's had a crush on you for so long, and you NEVER noticed it. Everyone else did but you. When did you find out?" Mary said.

"Um, when he asked me to go on a trip with him to Hogsmeade last night."

Mary and I screeched. "Ali, please tell me you said yes!"

Alice bit her lip. "Of course I said yes. He is so cute and kind. I like him back."

Mary jumped on Alice and hugged her. "Oh Alice I am so so so happy for you!"

"Me too," I said happily. I was happy for Frank too. He finally plucked up the courage to tell his crush how he felt. And it was worth it. Then, that thought made my heart sink. That is exactly what I had to do with James. Oh God.

"Alice," Mary said, "so what were you saying about James and Lily?"

"Oh," Alice said, "yeah, so I asked Frank about that, and he thinks that James stopped asking Lily out to show how much he has grown up and how much he loves her and yadda yadda. You get the picture. Frank thinks he still likes you."

"Oh my lord," Mary said. "You've got to tell him that you like him back, Lily! You two can get together! Alice and I have been waiting _forever_ for it to happen. Please spare us and just do it now!"

I glared at the two of them. "You know, what? I'm gonna go down there. And I'm going to talk to him. But not for YOUR benefit. But for mine." I 'hmphed' and smiled triumphantly. "How about you wish me luck?"

"You will need it," Mary mumbled.

"What?" I asked severely.

"Nothing."

I looked at them once more, and then turned around to head out.

"Lily!" I heard Alice yell.

"What?"

"Just follow your heart, as corny as that sounds."

"You're right," I said, "it _is_ corny."

They both laughed and smiled at me as I swept away and hoped I could get through with this.

--

As I went back down the stairs, I saw James sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. His friends, called the Marauders, were there with him. I wanted to know what was going on, so I secretly went behind a bookcase and listened.

"Sirius, I am so screwed. I can't _believe_ you talked me into this!" James said, still hidden in his hands.

The black-haired boy rolled his silver eyes and looked over at Remus Lupin, a quiet, smart boy who I actually didn't mind as I was going though Hogwarts. I used to be a prefect with him. He was different than Sirius and James who were arrogant almost all the time. I was surprised they had someone like Remus in their group. He was so responsible, while they were..._not_. But when I looked at them as a whole, I could see they were the best of friends.

Remus looked back and Sirius and shrugged.

"Prongs. You already asked Evans to take a walk. You can't get out of it now," Sirius said firmly.

I frowned. What was this? Was James regretting asking me? My stomach felt hollow and cold.

"I know, but I don't know if I can actually do this. How did I ask her out every single day in the past? And now I can't even think of _how_ to do it. And she probably doesn't even like me back. I think she just sees me as a friend. You guys are sure she likes me?"

Now I had butterflies. Raging ones even. I think I might throw up.

Peter Pettigrew, the one who I was even more surprised was in the group than Remus, spoke up saying, "James, we know that she likes you back. Sirius had the plan remember? And because of that, we know."

Damn Peter and his secretive talking. What was the plan?

"You don't know for certain," James said.

"Prongs, remember what MacDonald said? It has to be true," Sirius said with a grin

Mary MacDonald was dead. I knew_ that_ for certain. Whatever this plan was, Mary was in on it. Maybe Alice was too. Maybe I would have to kill her as well. I thought it over and decided I would wait to see what happened with James before I added them to any future hit list.

"Sirius, you are smiling like a fool," Remus stated. "I think the only reason you helped with the plan was to be with Mary. You fancy her."

Sirius scoffed. "Mary? Nah, why would I like her? Besides being gorgeous, witty, and fun, there is no reason."

The marauders stared. "Do you realize what you just said? Those are extremely redeeming qualities. You totally like her," James said.

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Holy mother of Merlin. I guess I do."

My mouth opened in shock. Sirius liked Mary. I _needed _to tell her. But then I realized she was in on "The Plan" and decided to wait.

I very nonchalantly walked out from behind the bookcase. "Hey guys."

They all jumped and stiffened. "Lily! How long have you been standing there?" James asked.

"Only a second," I lied swiftly, "Are you ready? I'm sorry it took so long. Mary needed a little help with something for Potions. She's hopeless at it, you know." I could play along. This might be fun.

"Oh, no you aren't late. It's fine. Let's go," James stood up. He looked like a nervous wreck.

"Uh, you OK?" I asked.

"Yeah, never better." Liar.

I walked towards the portrait door and turned back to see the marauders giving James thumbs up signs. I raised an eyebrow. "James?"

"Right. I'm coming!"

I laughed and opened the door. Obviously I wasn't going to be the only one confessing something.

We walked down the hallway in silence. The paintings on the walls all stared at us suspiciously. They knew our past of course. Everyone knew our past. The random screaming fits in the common room, in classes, in the halls, were enough to let everyone know how much I hated him before.

When we became friends, I think everyone was surprised. If I told James that I secretly liked him, I think everyone would die of shock, including the teachers. I could picture their faces if I ever held hands with him. I smiled and chuckled.

"Something funny?" James asked with a smile.

I was going to say no, but then I decided, why not tell the truth?

"Well," I began, "I was just wondering what the school's population would do if they saw us walking down the hallway together. And not just as friends. Imagine us walking hand in hand. They would be frozen in shock. I was just picturing their faces."

James looked pretty stiff and gave a nervous laugh. "That would be funny."

We reached a hallway that was completely abandoned. I glance up at James, and my heart burst. I didn't know if I could take this any longer. I didn't know if I could hold it in. But I didn't know if I could let it out. I wasn't sure if I should wait longer to get to know him more. I wasn't sure of a lot of things.

_I don't know but  
I think I may be  
Fallin' for you  
Dropping so quickly  
Maybe I should  
Keep this to myself  
Waiting 'til I  
Know you better_

I looked out the window. The sky was full of puffy, dark clouds. It looked like a storm was coming.

"Wow, James, look out the window."

He looked. We both stood there, watching the wind blow, making even the biggest and strongest trees sway. I glanced down to see his hand inches away from mine. His hand kept raising up, and then back down. Like he was debating putting it on mine. I smiled and turned around.

"James, let's go outside," I said excitedly.

"In the storm? Are you crazy?" James asked.

"Yes to both of those questions. Come on, it will be fun." I grabbed his hand and began to lead him down the stairs and out the door.

"We are going to get caught," James said.

"Since when has James Potter, master of rule-breaking and pranks, cared about getting in trouble?" I said teasingly.

He smirked and I felt some of his nervousness subside in the way he walked. He seemed more relaxed.

I continued to lead him outside. He didn't let go of my hand or say he could walk by himself. I think he enjoyed it.

We turned the corner, only to see Filch and Mrs. Norris coming straight toward us.

I gasped and I felt a hand pull my robe, and then it was black. I turned around and saw the outline of James in the dark.

"Be quiet," he whispered urgently. I obeyed.

Finally, we heard a noise pass by. They must have already rounded the corner.

"Where are we?" I asked him.

"I think it's just a broom cupboard."

I suddenly realized that I was in a broom cupboard with James Potter. I once told Alice that I would die before entering one with James Potter. Oh, the irony.

James seemed to be uncomfortable as well. He was still holding my hand. We sat in silence. I became aware of how good his breath smelled. It was like peppermint. My breath was ragged as I turned to look at his face. He was looking at me as well. He leaned forward just a fraction.

"I think the coast is clear," I said. I stood up and opened the door. No one was in sight. I stepped out and brushed off my robes. James was right behind me, his mouth in a thin line of disappointment. I thought that I might be giving him mixed messages. I just didn't know what to think anymore. I wasn't good with any of this relationship stuff.

"You still want to go outside?" I asked with a small smile.

He nodded.

We made our way onto the grounds and finally near the forbidden forest. There was a bench a few feet away from the lake. I motioned to it, and James grinned. I grabbed his hand again, and pulled him toward it.

_I am trying  
Not to tell you  
But I want to  
I'm scared of what you'll say  
So I'm hiding what I'm feeling  
But I'm tired of  
Holding this inside my head _

"Lily," James said.

"Mhm?" I answered placing myself on the bench. James sat down too.

"Tell me something about yourself."

This was not what I was expecting.

"What?"

"I want to know something about you that I didn't know before."

I squirmed. "Like what?"

"Anything. The sky is the limit."

I thought. I didn't know what to say. All I could think of was the fact that his hand was still in mine, how he was looking at me, and how beautiful he was. I surely wasn't going to say what I was thinking.

"Er," I stumbled on words, "I can't dance." Did I really say that of all things? Stupid, stupid.

_I've been spending all my time  
Just thinking about ya  
I don't know what to do  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I've been waiting all my life  
And now I found ya  
I don't know what to do  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I'm fallin' for you _

"Really?" James laughed.

"Really," I said with a sigh. "I'm dreadful. So tell me something about yourself."

He 'hmmed' and then smiled. "I am a _wonderful_ dancer."

I laughed. "You're gonna have to prove it, Mister."

"Oh, I will." He pulled me up off the bench.

"Hey!" I yelled. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I am showing you how great of a dancer I am while teaching you to dance at the same time."

"Ahh, James. I really can't. I tried to once and accidentally broke my uncle's nose. I've been cautious ever since."

James was bellowing with laughter.

"It's not funny!"

"Yes it is," he said truthfully, "and I'm sure you won't break my nose. Just let me lead and I can show you how easy it is."

He put his arm around my waist and took my other one in his. He tried to lead me, and at first I was very stiff and embarrassed. But then it got a little better, and I found myself able to move a little more gracefully.

"See, look how good you are doing right now." He was staring into my eyes as we danced. I didn't look away.

_As I'm standing here  
And you hold my hand  
Pull me towards you  
And we start to dance  
All around us  
I see nobody  
Here in silence  
It's just you and me _

"Wow, this is actually pretty easy," I admitted, twirling around with him. He moved closer to me casually as he whirled.

"I told you so."

"And you are a good dancer, too. Where did you learn?"

"My mom made me take dancing lessons."

I laughed loudly. "Why?"

"So that when I met a beautiful girl I could dance with her."

I smiled softly. "Have you met that beautiful girl yet?"

"Yes," he said. "I met her a long time ago, and I've realized very recently that I was in love with her."

I stopped dancing. "W-what?" I stuttered.

He looked at me. "Come on Lily, you must know what I am talking about. Haven't you seen all the signs?"

"Signs?"

He wrapped both his arms around my waist.

_Oh I just can't take it  
My heart is racing  
The emotions keep spilling out _

"Lily Evans, you have got to be one of the most clueless girls I have met in my entire life."

I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked up at him. "I am certainly not clueless."

He laughed. "I think you are."

"Really," I challenged, "what am I clueless about then?"

"Two things. First off, you are clueless to see the fact that I have been in love with you for months. Second off, you are clueless to see the fact that you feel the same exact way about me as I do for you."

I stood there, limp. His arms were the only thing keeping me standing.

"Come on Lily, please. Just tell me I'm right, and you will save me from massive, explosive depression for the rest of my life."

I snickered. "I wouldn't want that to happen," I said simply. And then I did something so crazy that I'm sure if I knew about it in the past, I would have gone straight to Switzerland and never came back. I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his. I felt his lips pull into a smile so wide I couldn't help but smile back. And then he was the one kissing me back.

_I can't stop thinking about it  
I want you all around me  
And now I just can't hide it  
I think I'm fallin' for you_

When lightning struck the first time, I didn't even hear it. I also did not hear it when it struck three more times after that. James, however must have because it was then that he pulled back, still in my arms and told me that if we didn't get inside within two minutes, we would probably drown in rain.

As we ran back to the castle, the rain started coming down hard and fast. I screamed playfully when I got wet. James scooped me up in his arms, which made me laugh even harder. I tried to escape, but he wouldn't let me. When he opened the doors and we sneaked inside, he finally put me down. We both couldn't stop smiling.

_I'm fallin' for you _

"Oh my gosh, I have an idea," I spoke up.

"What is it?"

"Let's go back into the common room holding hands."

"Just like you said before," he teased. "Let's see how many mouths we can make drop."

I told the Fat Lady the password and she let us in after James having to repeat it about five more times. She was in shock, just as we had pictured.

When the door opened, there were quite a few Gryffindors hanging around. They didn't seem to notice us at first. But then the first person to see was the one that would make everyone else look.

"James! And Lily," Sirius spoke up loudly. "Where did you two go off to?"

Many of the students turned to see when they heard him. Their eyes trailed down to our clasped hands, and it was then that the whispers and gasps started.

"Just patrolling," James answered. Obviously he was acting, just as Sirius had been.

"Patrolling my arse," Sirius whispered under his breath so only the two of us could hear. We laughed together at him.

Of course the whispers spread. One guy, a seventh year and a good friend of Frank Longbottom, Caradoc Dearborn, had the guts to say something out loud.

"Hey! James and Lily! Are you two going out?"

Everyone was silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone probably expected James to speak up. But I decided to talk, seeing as _I_ was the one that hated _him_ for so long.

"Yes, we are," I said out loud with a smile. "I've liked him for a while, but we only got together just now."

Then the room went crazy. People were talking and asking questions and surrounding us, wondering what the hell happened and why.

Instead of explaining, I just said, "He changed, for the better."

"So, what, the marauders are now suddenly getting together with girls who used to despise them?" one third year I didn't know asked her friend.

"What do you mean?" I asked her. She looked up at me, surprised.

"Er, well...You see there was a scene in here a little earlier. Right after you left."

"And what happened?"

"Sirius Black asked out Mary MacDonald in front of practically everyone."

"WHAT?" I exclaimed. "What did she say?"

"Well, at first she thought he was kidding and she told him to sod off. But then she realized he was serious and she literally said, 'Oh. OK then.'"

I couldn't speak. I looked at James, but he was looking at Sirius, who was smirking. "I'm pretty surprised she said yes," he said.

And then I smiled up at him, hugged him quickly, thanked him for making Mary happy, and sprinted towards the staircase, away from the madness. I wanted to talk to Mary. But then I realized I was leaving James behind. I turned back to see him standing there with his hands in his pockets. His half-smile was enough to make me run back, kiss him briefly, and then run back upstairs. I heard the uproar from the crowd, but I would deal with that later.

I banged the door open. Mary and Alice were both sleeping already. How in the name of Merlin was that possible? "MARY! ALICE!"

They both woke up. Alice lifted her sleep mask groggily. Mary squinted, saw me, and immediately perked up. "How did it go?" she asked.

"Why are you two sleeping?"

"We were tired. Now, how did it go?"

Again, I smiled like a fool. Alice shrieked, and Mary did a little dance on her bed. "Congrats, Lily."

"Hey, I think I should be congratulating someone." I glanced at Mary. "I heard you accepted a date from Black."

She shrugged. "Yeah. It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is!" I said. "It is a very big deal!" Alice nodded in agreement.

Mary shrugged again. "He was legitimate. I was surprised and flattered, so I said yes. But enough of me. Tell me about you and James."

So I told them what happened, explaining about the dancing and the thunder. Alice said that was extremely romantic, and Mary was surprised I kissed him before he kissed me. Then, I remembered something from before.

"Oh, Mary?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah?"

"What is the plan that you and Sirius came up with?"

Mary stared at me and then looked away. "What plan?"

"Don't pretend to not know. I overheard the marauders talking about a plan."

"Ok, listen Lily. It was Sirius' idea, which was really weird seeing as it was brilliant. You know how we were working with Amortenia in Potions the other day?"

"Yes."

"Well I made sure I was your partner because I wanted to see what it smelled like to you. Remember I asked you?"

"Go on."

"Well you said there was some musky smell, and you didn't know what it was, but it was 'to die for.' I told Sirius after Potions. He gave me this cologne, and I asked you if that was what the smell was."

It was coming crashing down on me. "And I said that smelled almost exactly like it."

"Yeah. Well it was James' cologne. So it proved you fancied him. I told Sirius, who told James. And that gave him the courage to ask you."

"This was _Sirius's_ idea?"

"Yes. I told you it was oddly clever for him."

I sat there in silence. I wondered how come I never noticed it before. It was James that I smelled in the potion. It was there in front of me the whole time, and I didn't figure it out until Mary told me.

It was then that I started laughing at the irony of it. I turned around, went back out the door, down the staircase, and to the spot where the four marauders were lounging on the floor by the fire.

"What's up Lilykins?" Sirius asked.

"You," I said, still laughing slightly. "I am sorry I ever called you stupid and brainless and arrogant and every other name because it was you that helped me and James get together."

He was sitting there, looking up at me, chewing on his Drooble's Gum with his eyebrows raised and seeming as clueless as James told me I was before. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The plan," I told him simply. Four pairs of eyes grew wide, staring at me in fear. "I'm not mad. I think it was pretty smart."

Sirius beamed. "Never thought I would hear that come out of your mouth, Evans. Thanks."

I sat down next to James, who wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Your welcome Sirius. You're not that bad sometimes, you know. But I swear, if you hurt Mary, I will break your neck."

He laughed hesitantly. "I wouldn't want that to happen." James glanced at me, remembering that what Sirius had just said was what I had said just before kissing him. We shared a silent snicker. I put my head on his shoulder, and we all sat like that for hours more, just talking and laughing, as if we had been friends our whole lives. I breathed in, smelling the exact scent that came from my Amortenia. And I could have stayed like that forever without ever moving.

**A/N – what did you think? Please leave me a review and I'll love you forever!**

**~JLH**


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